1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle-mounted cutting tools. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle-mounted cuffing tool having a pivotable member and a slidable member operable to cut an object, such as a tree, when the slidable member is slid due to contact with the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various conventional methods of cuffing and harvesting trees have been developed. Such methods include the use of a saw, chainsaw, a plurality of blades, or other personally operated devices. Such devices often malfunction causing serious or deadly injury to their operators. Additionally, personally operated devices require individuals to be in close proximity to trees, thereby increasing the probability that a cut tree will fall on them and cause serious or deadly injury. Furthermore, personally operated devices are inefficient for cuffing a plurality of trees due to the time required by the device to sufficiently cut each tree and the need to specifically engage trees on an individual basis by walking and transporting equipment between each tree. As harvesters often desire to cut a large number of trees, such conventional methods are generally unsafe, inefficient, and time-consuming.
Other conventional methods have been developed in an attempt to remedy the problems described above. For example, some conventional methods utilize a pinching blade to hold a tree in place while a rotary blade cuts the tree. After cutting, the pinching blade is released and the tree is allowed to fall to the ground in a controlled manner. However, these methods still require individuals to be in close proximity to cut trees and also require individuals to specifically engage each tree on an individual basis. Thus, these other conventional methods are also generally unsafe, inefficient, and time-consuming.